Snippet #1808923

Bill awoke to the loud ring of his alarm. Six in the morning on Saturday afternoon; not the best way to wake up to be sure. The following groans and mumbled curses of his brother Terry could be heard, from his own bed at the other end of the room. Billie sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and stretching. "Ah, quit your belly aching. 'Least you can go back to sleep.." Bill swung his feet out of bed and stood up, pulling on a pair of pants before he headed to the bathroom. "Ought to drag you in there, get you learning this too. Need the help still, an' you're old enough to start helping out.." He had a grin on, as he took a few steps toward his brother's bed. He stretched out his hand and grabbed Terry's ankle, shaking him violently. "Wah! Go to hell Billy!" Terry cried after shooting up in bed to take a swing at his older brother. Billy just chuckled as he strode out the bedroom's door, the exasperated sigh of his brother still audible halfway to the washroom.

A half hour later, Bill was showered and freshly clothed, making his way downstairs of the Duvick home. It was a beautiful four bedroom, two story home built by Chandler Duvick almost fifty years ago. Bill walked into the kitchen, the only person up and about was his father. Franklin Duvick didn't sleep in on his day off. He figured he was up at six Monday through Friday for work, and Sunday for church, he may as well make it a regular thing on Saturday too. "Aye son, how're you this morning?" Frank asked, taking a drag of his cigarette as he sipped on a cup of coffee. "Well enough, though I gotta say, I'm not keen on working these Saturday mornings. Rather catch an extra hour of sleep an' go fishing, to be honest!" Bill grinned at his Dad as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Hey now, I think that's a good idea! Maybe I'll grab my tackle, see if I catch anything before I come in at noon." He winked and grinned back taking a drink of coffee.

They'd both had to make a sacrifice in the last few months. Papa wasn't in as good of health as anyone'd like to admit. He'd normally been the one to open on the Saturday mornings, with their old employee Tyler having finished the day himself. But after Tyler walked out last month, both Bill and his Dad had been forced to sacrifice part of their Saturday to keep the store open. Business had seen a nice increase as soon as the factory had opened; more current residents of Bedford Falls had more money, and it drew in new residents with a steady income. Steady income lead to people buying things like homes, cars, and all sorts of things. Which meant they'd need tools and parts for projects. Along with all this Bill's father was toying with the idea of adding appliance ordering and installing. Business was always fairly steady, and things seemed to be looking up as a whole.

After a light breakfast and conversation with his Dad, Bill began walking to the store. He arrived just before Seven, withdrawing the store key and unlocking the door. He flipped the sign around to 'Open' and strode in, dropping the key in his pocket. The store was in the heart of Downtown, on the corner of Second and Main Streets, just a block away from the official Town Center. By Nine, the sidewalks would be full of people. Now, only a couple of people could be seen out and about this Saturday morning from the shop's two large front windows. Bill took the time to kick back behind the counter, withdrawing his cigarette holder and withdrawing one. He layed out the paper on the counter and began reading it, exhaling a drag in the morning light through the windows.